If you have a sandbox, it makes a good holding area for plants you have not yet put into the ground, or those divisions you've potted up for sharing with others. It's easy to dig them in and out, a bit protected, and all in one place for watering.

When my grandchildren outgrew the sandbox, I reused it for gardening.
The bottom part holds several large containers which I plant and if I go away or it gets very warm---
I water and leave water in the sand box around them.
The lid of the sand box is now the cover for the compost pile. (A City of Calgary bylaw requires
a cover on all compost piles).

When my perennials start waking up in the spring, I break off chunks, pot them up and label, and store in the sandbox for 'give-aways' to anyone who happens to want them. We have new neighbors on either side of us this year, both young folks, and I anticipate giving both of them some starts this spring. Good feeling to share the wealth.

I want to live in a world where the chicken can cross the road without its motives being questioned.

I would feel more optimistic about a bright future for man if he spent less time proving that he can outwit Nature and more time tasting her sweetness and respecting her seniority. E. B.White
Integrity can never be taken. It can only be given, and I wasn't going to give it up to these people. Gary Mowad

I also find it useful for those times you need a bit of sand - to mix with seed before planting, to mark where you planted something, to discourage slugs. If it gets skimpy, I just add a bag of builders sand which is nice and fluffy.

I want to live in a world where the chicken can cross the road without its motives being questioned.

We have bags of sand for flooding during the winter. One the flooding threat is gone we use the sand for adding to potting mixes, raised beds, etc. The stuff the bags are made of won't last more than a year or two.

Great idea. I have never bought builder's sand for the garden. Does one have to be careful about what's in it such as toxic materials? Are there different kinds of builder's sand to consider? I have read that playsand is not appropriate for the garden. Don't remember why!

I think it's just sand that has gone through a finer sieve, it doesn't have the small rocks that playground sand has. Generally is used for making mortar, so has to be finer. I've never thought about any toxicity it might have, just assumed it comes from the gravel pit. ??

I want to live in a world where the chicken can cross the road without its motives being questioned.

About 7 or so years ago I used spinosad bait for a couple of years, just minimally. That helped with fireants. And the state releasing phorid flies may have helped also. So fireants aren't that bad of a problem here now.

I would feel more optimistic about a bright future for man if he spent less time proving that he can outwit Nature and more time tasting her sweetness and respecting her seniority. E. B.White
Integrity can never be taken. It can only be given, and I wasn't going to give it up to these people. Gary Mowad